This invention relates to a carrier for food materials and especially to a compartmented container particularly designed for ease in transporting meals prepared at a central point to persons having need for such meals and located some distance from the preparation site. A particular use for the subject invention is accordingly the transportation of preportioned meals prepared and distributed to the disabled, elderly or shut-in and would include such programs as "Meals on Wheels," as well as various institutional uses.
Containers utilized for such programs previously generally lacked several desirable attributes for accomplishing the transporting of both hot and cold nutritious meals in a safe, efficient and trouble-free manner. Thus, carriers for the transportation of home or other off-site delivered meals were often too heavy, too bulky, too fragile, presented racks which could move relative to the carrier thus causing slippage or spillage of the meals, and were additionally not adapted to carry hot and cold foods simultaneously. Further desirable features not incorporated in prior art containers utilized for this purpose include stability when stacking one on top of another. Accordingly the need exists for a special purpose carrier for the simultaneous transfer of both hot and cold food in a safe, convenient manner which further lends itself to the presentation of both wholesome, nutritious and appetizing foods upon delivery.
It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide a carrier for transporting prepared meals to shut-ins and/or to various institutions where meals are served which is adapted to simultaneously carry both hot and cold foods, and which is of lightweight durable construction and of a configuration so as to be easily handled by non-professional volunteers often participating in feeding programs of the type indicated.
A further object of the present invention is the provision of a carrier of the aforementioned type in which racks of distinctive configuration are presented within separated compartments in such a manner as to lend themselves to the arrangement of food and food trays therein wherein the racks are wedgingly received within the compartments so as to form a secure, non-movable fixed support for food trays and the like.
Another object is the provision of specially designed heating and cooling units adapted to be positioned in the separated hot and cold compartments of the carrier to maintain the contents of said compartments hot and cold for extended periods of time.
These and other objects of the invention are accomplished by the provision of a lightweight container shell having insulated top, bottom and sidewalls defining a pair of side-by-side interior compartments each having an open front and insulated doors hingedly connected to the shell for closing said open fronts in a generally airtight manner. The compartments are inwardly tapered front to rear and a stiff wire-like rack having a peripheral supporting frame and defining a plurality of vertically spaced shelves for receipt of food storage trays and the like is wedgedly received in each compartment by co-action of said frame against inner portions of said top, bottom and sidewalls.